Broken Shinai

[Confound]

I keep running across posts with references to 'broken shinai', apparently everyone seems to have quite a few of them. I have yet to break a shinai. I've worn one out, but not broken it. Am I supposed to be breaking them?

Does anyone else have this 'lack of broken shinai' problem? Everyone who has made these references is male. I have yet to see any of our female posters writing about having a shinai junkyard in their basement. Is it a strength thing, or have I been going about kendou all wrong. Who knows.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone else who doesn't break shinai. I can't be the only non-hercules out there.

c

[reicheru]

I've never broken one either. Occassionally I'll find a splinter that needs to be sanded down (rarely), but never a broken shinai. I personally don't see it as a "problem" though!

[ben]

I don't have a "shinai junkyard in my basement", I have row upon row of stakes for my tomato plants. I hope we get some decent rain soon...

b

[KhawMengLee]

I only broke one shinai once. It happened during jigeiko and one of the side slats split right down the middle. I think it was due from blocking too much.

Since changing my tactics to attacking more or doing suriage waza I have had no breaks.

MENG

[munenmuso]

I broke my first shinai. It's the most abused shinai I ever had. Being a beginner, I hit so hard thinking that it's the right thing to do but later found out that it's the most stupid thing to do.

But I know that my most beloved shinai is also the cheapest. Got it for only US$12.00 as standard issue of the club. I broke the most exposed part but I changed that slat eversince and it lasted for three years. And now since it's the most sentimental shinai in the roster, it found it's place in the most sacred part of my room.

[KENSHIN]

Originally posted by Confound

Does anyone else have this 'lack of broken shinai' problem? Everyone who has made these references is male.

Well, thats probably due to the fact that women are such weak speices, it is alomst impossible for them to do it...is it not? only joking confi...but i have to say that i have been doing kendo for about 1 year now and my shinai looks as though it will last for another year or so...hmmm, or maybe its just that i am a weak and futile male or could it just simply be that i take good care of my property, and this taking good care of ones property is more probable, only due to the fact that i want my shinai to last as long as it can because i am such a tight ass when thinking about buying another shinai...

[sparc]

Originally posted by Confound
Does anyone else have this 'lack of broken shinai' problem? Everyone who has made these references is male. I have yet to see any of our female posters writing about having a shinai junkyard in their basement. Is it a strength thing, or have I been going about kendou all wrong. Who knows.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone else who doesn't break shinai. I can't be the only non-hercules out there.

c

Not at all, I'm just waiting for the day that I do though. Got to be a first time for everything.

[etherknot]

Originally posted by sparc


Not at all, I'm just waiting for the day that I do though. Got to be a first time for everything.

I just know my first shinai is going to blow during my first jigeiko or during actual shiai. That said it will be prudent to bring an extra shinai along.

That said, I'll come back to this post someday and quote myself: DOH!

[sparc]

Originally posted by etherknot


That said it will be prudent to bring an extra shinai along.

That said, I'll come back to this post someday and quote myself: DOH!

Good call. I've just put my extra shinai in the bag just now. I don't like tempting fate. But whats life without a few risks?

[David J]

I just know my first shinai is going to blow during my first jigeiko or during actual shiai. [/B]

You'll reduce your chance of this if you maintain your shinai properly* - taking it to bits you should see a major blowout coming. Far better for all concerned to retire a shinai (or one slat thereof) early, than to explode it in someone's neck / face / arm....<shudder>

<rei>

Dave

* BTW, I'm not aiming this comment at etherknot or anyone in particular

[Matthew Lagden]

I've never seen one blow though. Is our Dojo just very good at Shinai maintenance, is the kit fetish so highly developed that people replace them every two months, or is this an exaggerated problem?

In answer to my own question, mine is a year old, seems to be going fine, but I'm replacing it anyway because i don't like the weight/size/feel, and it seems to need more and more care and reassambly, and i'm sick of spending half saturday putting it back together again.

so there.

[JSchmidt]

Shinai's dont *blow*. They usually split and you'll only notice by the sound really.
Most of mine, have just plain been worn down...the last 2, (nice expensive ones too), both split after opponents shinai got logded inbetween the staves and when I tried to salvage old ones, I realised that they had dried out and started to splinter.

Jakob

[etherknot]

Not to worry, I've been maintaining a close regimen of tender loving care to my shinai since I got it. No apperant cracks or anything... yet.

I'm just saying like at the most inopportune moment it's going to achieve some catastrophic adjective of your choice here*, failure.

Why? It'll probably just be my luck.


*your choice of adjective to replace blow.

[CypherSushi]

I only have one shinai... I will buy another one as soon as I can though, since I think that I subconsiously hit less hard cause I want it to hold. I am teh only female in teh club to so if It would break I would have to use a 39 which I don't want to.

At my grading I was told that I hit to weak so I guess I have to buy that new one asap

[inner_cent]

Wish I can be like you Confound, ........ Everytime one slab of the shinai broke, it breaks my heart Not just because its my favourate shinai, and its also because its hard to find a good enough replacement parts for it.....